Vaccine for protection against Shigella sonnei disease

ABSTRACT

Compositions and methods for protecting a susceptible host against an infection of  Shigella sonnei  are disclosed. Such compositions and methods are useful for protecting the host against bacillary dysentery and shigellosis.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/346,706 entitled VACCINE FOR PROTECTION AGAINST SHIGELLA SONNEI DISEASE, Filed Jan. 15, 2003, which is a non-provisional of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/349,788 also entitled VACCINE FOR PROTECTION AGAINST SHIGELLA SONNEI DISEASE, filed Jan. 16, 2002, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety and made part of this specification.

STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

This invention is owned by the United States Government.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of vaccines for treating and preventing bacillary dysentery. In particular, this invention provides for attenuated live bacteria expressing the Shigella sonnei form I-O polysaccharide that are useful for inducing an immunoprotective response against Shigella sonnei.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bacillary dysentery and specifically shigellosis is a global human health problem. It has been over 100 years since the discovery of Shiga's bacillus, yet shigellosis remains endemic in most areas of the world including industrialized nations. An estimated 200 million people worldwide suffer from shigellosis, with more than 650,000 associated deaths annually (27). A recent CDC estimate indicates the occurrence of over 440,000 20 annual shigellosis cases in the United States alone (32), approximately 80% of which are caused by Shigella sonnei. All virulent S. sonnei strains comprise a single serotype determined by form I O-polysaccharide (O-Ps). This O-Ps is composed of a disaccharide repeating unit containing two unusual amino sugars, 2-amino-2-deoxy-L-altruronic acid (L-AltNAcA) and 2-acetamido-4-amino-2,4,6-trideoxy-D-galactose (4-n-D-FucNAc) (25). The 25 genes encoding the enzymes that produce this O-Ps are novelly located on the 180 kb virulence plasmid in S. sonnei (26), which also harbors the invasion genes (36). Virulent form I colonies are typically unstable and upon replating convert to rough colonies, termed form II, due primarily to spontaneous loss of the large virulence plasmid and the ensuing loss of form I O-antigen. Substantially identical genes that encode the same antigen producing enzymes are located on the bacterial chromosome in Plesiomonas shigelloides (termed the O17 gene cluster).

Immunity to Shigellae, acquired either by natural infection or volunteer challenge, is mediated largely by immune responses directed against the serotype specific O-Ps (9, 10). This insight has led to the development of a variety of candidate vaccines containing Shigella O-Ps for oral or parenteral administration including recombinant heterologous, live, bacterial carrier strains (3, 12, 18). Parenteral vaccines in the past have not been effective in protecting against bacillary dysentery because shigellosis is an infection limited to the superficial layer of the colonic mucosa. It is, therefore, not surprising that attempts to immunize man or other primates with killed whole cell Shigella vaccines, administered by the parenteral route, have not been successful.

In early recombinant vaccine efforts, the virulence plasmid of S. sonnei was transferred as part of a larger plasmid cointegrate to the attenuated vector Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi strain Ty21a (i.e. S. Typhi Ty21a) (12). The resulting hybrid vaccine strain, 5076-1C, expressed S. sonnei O antigen as a lipid-linked surface O-Ps as well as S. Typhi 9,12 LPS (37). Although not core-linked, this form I O-Ps was immunogenic (12) and oral immunization of volunteers with 5076-1C elicited protection against virulent S. sonnei oral challenge (3, 21, 40). However, the protection observed in volunteers was variable, presumably due to loss of the form I gene region from the large cointegrate plasmid in 5076-1C (17). Thus, further molecular studies are needed to stabilize the S. sonnei form I gene region in vaccine vector constructs. In spite of an increased molecular understanding of Shigella pathogenesis, there are still no licensed vaccines for protection against shigellosis in the United States.

Although the form I O-Ps-encoding locus has been studied in some detail previously (6, 24, 38, 42, 45) the biosynthetic pathway and minimal gene region for stable expression of O-antigen have not been unambiguously defined. We show through deletion and sequence analyses and LPS expression studies that the S. sonnei form I biosynthetic gene region comprises a 12.3 kb operon. A detailed biosynthetic pathway, based on DNA sequence analysis of this region and the known structure of form I O-Ps, is proposed. In addition, stable expression of form I O-Ps was observed from a low copy plasmid and was associated with the removal of an adjacent 1591 resulting in small, genetically stable form I gene region constructs. We report the development and animal testing of a live attenuated S. Typhi vaccine vector stably expressing enzymes that produce form I O-Ps for protection against S. sonnei disease.

To develop a more stable living attenuated oral Shigella strain vaccine, the gene region encoding the enzymes that produce form I antigen was isolated from a large non-conjugative plasmid and analyzed to determine the essential genes required for biosynthesis of Shigella sonnei form I O-polysaccharide. Nucleic acids totaling 18 kb, were characterized genetically and used to define a minimal region encoding all of the proteins required to produce the form I antigen for development of live vaccine vector strains. Constructs comprising a 12.2 kb region encoding a consensus promoter and ten contiguous ORF's, and additional flanking DNA were generated which contained all of the information required to produce the Shigella form I O-Ps antigen. Significantly, attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi live vector vaccine candidate strains, containing minimal-sized form I O-Ps operon constructs, elicited immune protection in mice against virulent S. sonnei challenge.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the invention, an immunoprotective composition containing an attenuated bacteria capable of expressing an antigen useful for inducing an immunoprotective response against Shigella sonnei (S. sonnei) is prepared. The antigen comprises the S. sonnei form I O-polysaccharide and the antigen is produced by enzymes encoded by an expression cassette containing a nucleotide fragment comprising the genes wbgT, wbgU, wzx, wzy, wbgV, wbgW, wbgX, wbgY, and wbgZ isolated from the S. sonnei rjb/rfc gene cluster or Plesiomonas shigelloides (P. shigelloides) O17 gene cluster which are operably linked to transcriptional promoter and termination signals. The gene containing fragment is between 10,000 and 13,700 nucleotides in length. The expression cassette containing the fragment does not include sequences that naturally flank the rfb/rfc gene cluster.

In another aspect of the invention, the attenuated bacteria in the immunoprotective composition are selected from the group consisting of Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Yersinia enterocolitica, Yersinia pestis, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, Escherichia coli, Shigella flexneri, Shigella sonnei, Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella boydii, Helicobacter pylori, Helicobacter felis, Gastrospirillum hominus, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemdlyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, Bacteroides fragilis, Clostridium difficile, Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella gallinarum, Salmonella pullorum, Salmonella choleraesuis, Salmonella enteritidis, Streptococcus gordonii, Lactobacillis sp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, and Enterococcus faecalis.

In one embodiment of the invention, the attenuated bacteria are E. coli bacteria selected from the group consisting of the strains DH5α and HB101. In another embodiment of the invention, the attenuated bacteria are S. typhi bacteria selected from the group consisting of the strains Ty21a, CVD 908, CVD 908-htrA, X4073 and Ty800. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the attenuated S. typhi bacteria are the attenuated strain of Ty2. In another embodiment, the attenuated bacteria are S. sonnei bacteria selected from the group consisting of strains 53GI and 53GII.

In one aspect of the invention, the gene containing fragment in the immunoprotective composition comprises SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:3, or SEQ ID NO:4 operably linked to a promoter.

In another aspect of the invention, the gene containing fragment of the immunoprotective composition lacks SEQ ID NO:15.

In still another aspect of the invention the enzymes that produce the antigen are expressed from a recombinant plasmid. In one embodiment of the invention, the recombinant plasmid contains a selectable marker. In a preferred embodiment, the selectable marker is the aspartate β-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (asd) gene operably linked to a promoter. In still another embodiment of the invention, the enzymes that produce the antigen are encoded by a recombinant plasmid containing SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3, or SEQ ID NO: 4 operably linked to a promoter. In yet another embodiment of the invention, the recombinant plasmid lacks SEQ ID NO:15. In one embodiment, the recombinant plasmid comprises SEQ ID NO: 2 operably linked to a promoter. In another embodiment, the recombinant plasmid comprises SEQ ID NO: 3 operably linked to a promoter. In still another embodiment, the recombinant plasmid comprises SEQ ID NO: 4 operably linked to a promoter.

In another aspect of the invention, the immunoprotective composition also contains a pharmaceutical diluent.

The invention provides for a method of protecting a susceptible host against an infection of Shigella sonnei (S. sonnei) by administering to the host an immunoprotective composition containing an attenuated bacteria capable of expressing an antigen useful for inducing an immunoprotective response against Shigella sonnei (S. sonnei), where the antigen comprises the S. sonnei form I O-polysaccharide, the antigen is produced by enzymes encoded by an expression cassette containing a nucleotide fragment comprising the genes wbgT, wbgU, wzx, wzy, wbgV, wbgW, wbgX, wbgY, and wbgZ isolated from the S. sonnei rfb/rfc gene cluster or Plesiomonas shigelloides (P. shigelloides) O17 gene cluster which are operably linked to transcriptional promoter and termination signals, the gene containing fragment is between 10,000 and 13,700 nucleotides in length, the expression cassette containing the fragment does not include sequences that naturally flank the rfb/rfc gene cluster, and the composition is given in an amount sufficient to invoke an immunoprotective response in the host.

In another aspect the invention provides a method of protecting a susceptible host against an infection of Shigella sonnei (S. sonnei) comprising administering to said host an immunoprotective composition containing an attenuated bacteria capable of expressing an antigen useful for inducing an immunoprotective response against Shigella sonnei (S. sonnei), where the antigen comprises the S. sonnei form I O-polysaccharide, the antigen is produced by enzymes encoded by an expression cassette containing a nucleotide fragment comprising the genes wbgT, wbgU, wzx, wzy, wbgV, wbgW, wbgX, wbgY, and wbgZ isolated from the S. sonnei rfb/rfc gene cluster or Plesiomonas shigelloides (P. shigelloides) O17 gene cluster which are operably linked to transcriptional promoter and termination signals, the gene containing fragment is between 10,000 and 13,700 nucleotides in length, the expression cassette containing the fragment does not include sequences that naturally flank the rfb/rfc gene cluster, the expression cassette is on a recombinant plasmid, and the immunogenic composition is given in an amount sufficient to invoke an immunoprotective response in the host. In one embodiment of the method, the enzymes that produce the antigen are encoded by a recombinant plasmid containing SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3, or SEQ ID NO: 4 operably linked to a promoter. In another embodiment of the method, the immunogenic composition is in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In still another embodiment of the method, the immunogenic composition is in a sterile medium. In another embodiment of the method, the immunogenic composition also contains an adjuvant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. Cloning and downsizing of the S. sonnei form I biosynthetic gene cluster for sequencing and O-antigen expression studies. (A) Restriction map of the 30 kb BamH1 insert from cosmid pXG914. (B) The inserts of plasmid subclones prepared to define a minimal essential region for form I O-antigen expression, defined by anti-form I specific bacterial agglutination of recipient S. sonnei 53GII, E. coli HB101, or S. Typhi Ty21a carrying each of these plasmids. (C) Map of the form I gene region showing restriction sites relative to inserts shown in panel B and the location of 18 ORFs identified by sequence analysis. Filled ORFs represent the genes required for form I O-Ps biosynthesis in plasmid bearing subclones. Restriction endonuclease sites are shown for BamHI (B), HindIII (H), PmeI (P), SmaI (S), and XbaI (X). (D) Percent GC content of the 17,986 by form I biosynthetic region and flanking sequences.

FIG. 2. Detection of SDS-PAGE separated O-Ps by silver staining and anti-form I Western immunoblotting with form I specific antiserum. O-Ps from: (A) S. sonnei 53GI, strain 53GII alone (control) or carrying plasmids with different form I-encoding inserts; (B) E. coli HB101 alone (control) or carrying different form I-encoding plasmids; (C) S. typhi Ty21a alone (control) or carrying different form I-encoding plasmids.

FIG. 3. ORF diagrams of the regions flanking the S. sonnei form I biosynthetic gene cluster. (A) Regions of pWR101 and pWR102 (including SEQ ID: 20)upstream of wbgT. (B) Region of pWR101 downstream of wbgZ (including SEQ ID NO's: 21 and 22). The sequences of the left and right inverted repeats (IRL and IRR) of IS91 are shown in bold type. The -gttc- target sequence of IS91 is italicized. The original -gttc- sites within IS630 and IS911 for insertion of IS91 are boxed. A sequence homologous to a Pseudomonas IS element occurs within the hatched region.

FIG. 4. Comparison of gene clusters for biosynthesis of the S. sonnei form I O-Ps and the substantially identical P. shigelloides O17 Ps: (A) Composite S. sonnei 53G form I gene cluster and flanking regions derived from Genbank accession numbers AF285971 (SEQ ID NO:16), AF294823 (SEQ ID NO:7) and AF455358 (SEQ ID NO:8). ORFs are identified numerically as defined in Table 2 and also by gene designations (38). (B) S. sonnei 53G form I gene cluster reported by Houng and Venkatesan (24). (C) partial S. sonnei HW383 form I gene cluster determined by Chida et al. (6). (D) Composite P. shigelloides O17 Ps gene cluster derived from Genbank accession numbers AF285970 (SEQ ID NO:17) and AB025970 (SEQ ID NO:18). ORFs are identified numerically and by gene names (38). The ORFs for form I O-Ps biosynthesis by plasmid-bearing subclones are shaded.

FIG. 5. Proposed pathway for biosynthesis of undecaprenyl phosphate (und-P)-linked, S. sonnei form I O-Ps. The pathway is based on the predicted enzymatic activities of S. sonnei 53G proteins as summarized in Table 2 and the structural steps required for conversion of UDP-GlcNAc to the putative form I O-Ps precursors, UDP-L-AltNAcA and UDP-4-n-D-FucNAc.

DEFINITIONS

The term “operon” refers to a cluster of functionally related genes whose expression or operation is regulated by the same preceeding promoter gene.

The term “rfb/rfc” is the gene symbol for the gene cluster which encodes all of the proteins required to synthesize, polymerize, and transport to the bacterial surface the form I O-Polysaccharide of Shigella sonnei. The rfb/rfc gene cluster comprises the genes wbgT, wbgU, wzx, wzy, wbgV, wbgW, wbgX, wbgY, and wbgZ (see Table 2 and SEQ ID NO:7). Included in the cluster but not required for production of the form I O-Ps is the transposable element IS630 (SEQ ID NO:15). Also included in the gene cluster are the promoter and operator sequences (SEQ ID NO:12) for the gene cluster located in the carboxyterminus of the wzz gene immediately upstream (5′) of the wbgT gene, and the transcriptional terminator sequences are located immediately downstream (3′) of the wbgZ gene (SEQ ID NO:13). Sequences which naturally flank the rfb/rfc gene cluster include those sequences found on the S. sonnei virulence plasmid containing the rfb/rfc gene cluster not contained in SEQ ID NO:2.

The term “form I O-Polysaccharide” refers to the Shigella sonnei O antigen composed of disaccharide repeating units containing two unusual amino sugars, 2-amino-2-deoxy-L-alturonic acid (L-AltNAcA) and 2-acetamido-4-amino-2,4,6-trideoxy-D-galactose (4-nD-FucNAc).

The term “form I O-Ps” is a short hand designation for and used interchangeably herein for the Shigella sonnei form I O-Polysaccharide surface antigen.

The term “O17 gene cluster” is the name of the gene cluster isolated from Plesiomonas shigelloides (P. shigelloides) encoding the genes wbgT, wbgU, wzx, wzy, wbgV, wbgW, wbgX, wbgY, and wbgZ (SEQ ID NO:17). The genes are located in an operon on the bacterial chromosome. The O17 gene cluster is substantially identical to the rfb/rfc gene cluster. The nucleotide sequence identity between the clusters ranges from 95% to 100% depending on the gene. The amino acid sequence identity ranges from 98% to 100%, depending on the gene and the amino acid sequence similarity ranges from 99% to 100% depending on the gene. The O17 gene cluster lacks the IS630 transposable element found in the rfb/rfc gene cluster. The genes encoded by the O17 gene cluster produce the same enzymes and are capable of producing the same form I O-Ps surface antigen as the rfb/rfc gene cluster. Sequences which naturally flank the O17 gene cluster include those sequences found on the P. shigelloides bacterial chromosome which are not substantially identical the sequences contained in SEQ ID NO:4.

The term “attenuated,” when used with respect to a bacteria, means that the bacteria has lost some or all of its ability to proliferate and/or cause disease or other adverse effect when the bacteria infects an organism. For example, an “attenuated” bacteria can be unable to replicate at all, or be limited to one or a few rounds of replication, when present in an organism in which a wild-type or other pathogenic version of the attenuated bacteria can replicate. Alternatively or additionally, an “attenuated” bacteria might have one or more mutations in a gene or genes that are involved in pathogenicity of the bacteria. Many genes, loci, or operons are known, mutations in which will result in an attenuated bacteria. Examples of attenuated bacteria used as live vaccines include S. typhi carrying a mutation in its galE or htrA gene, and V. cholerae carrying mutations in its ctxA gene.

A “host organism” is an animal that is a target of vaccination with the attenuated vaccines of the invention. Such host organisms have an immune system that is responsive to inoculation with an immunogen. Suitable host organisms include, for example, humans, rodents, livestock, birds, and other animals in which it is desirable to vaccinate for either therapeutic or prophylactic purposes.

The term “vaccine,” is used interchangeably herein with “immunoprotective composition” and as used herein, refers to an immunogen that, upon inoculation into a host organism, can induce complete or partial immunity to pathogenic agents, or can reduce the effects of diseases associated with pathogenic agents.

The terms “nucleic acid” or “oligonucleotide” or grammatical equivalents herein refer to at least two nucleotides covalently linked together. The term nucleic acid is used interchangeably with gene, cDNA, and mRNA encoded by a gene. A nucleic acid of the present invention is preferably single-stranded or double stranded and will generally contain phosphodiester bonds, although in some cases, as outlined below, nucleic acid analogs are included that may have alternate backbones, comprising, for example, phosphoramide (Beaucage et al. (1993) Tetrahedron 49(10):1925) and references therein; Letsinger (1970) J. Org. Chem. 35:3800; Sprinzl et al. (1977) Eur. J. Biochem. 81: 579; Letsinger et al. (1986) Nucl. Acids Res. 14: 3487; Sawai et al. (1984) Chem. Lett. 805, Letsinger et al. (1988) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 110: 4470; and Pauwels et al. (1986) Chemica Scripta 26: 141 9), phosphorothioate (Mag et al. (1991) Nucleic Acids Res. 19:1437; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,048), phosphorodithioate (Briu et al. (1989) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 111:2321, O-methylphosphoroamidite linkages (see Eckstein, Oligonucleotides and Analogues: A Practical Approach, Oxford University Press), and peptide nucleic acid backbones and linkages (see Egholm (1992) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 114:1895; Meier et al. (1992) Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 31: 1008; Nielsen (1993) Nature, 365: 566; Carlsson et al. (1996) Nature 380: 207). Other analog nucleic acids include those with positive backbones (Denpcy et al. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92: 6097; non-ionic backbones (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,386,023, 5,637,684, 5,602,240, 5,216,141 and 4,469,863; Angew. (1991) Chem. Intl. Ed. English 30: 423; Letsinger et al. (1988) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 110:4470; Letsinger et al. (1994) Nucleoside & Nucleotide 13:1597; Chapters 2 and 3, ASC Symposium Series 580, “Carbohydrate Modifications in Antisense Research”, Ed. Y. S. Sanghui and P. Dan Cook; Mesmaeker et al. (1994), Bioorganic & Medicinal Chem. Lett. 4: 395; Jeffs et al. (1994) J. Biomolecular NMR 34:17; Tetrahedron Lett. 37:743 (1996)) and non-ribose backbones, including those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,235,033 and 5,034,506, and Chapters 6 and 7, ASC Symposium Series 580, Carbohydrate Modifications in Antisense Research, Ed. Y. S. Sanghui and P. Dan Cook. Nucleic acids containing one or more carbocyclic sugars are also included within the definition of nucleic acids (see Jenkins et al. (1995), Chem. Soc. Rev. pp 169-176). Several nucleic acid analogs are described in Rawls, C & E News Jun. 2, 1997 page 35. These modifications of the ribose-phosphate backbone may be done to facilitate the addition of additional moieties such as labels, or to increase the stability and half-life of such molecules in physiological environments.

A “exogenous DNA segment”, “heterologous sequence” or a “heterologous nucleic acid”, as used herein, is one that originates from a source foreign to the particular host cell, or, if from the same source, is modified from its original form. Thus, a heterologous gene in a host cell includes a gene that is endogenous to the particular host cell, but has been modified. Thus, the terms refer to a DNA segment which is foreign or heterologous to the cell, or homologous to the cell but in a position within the host cell nucleic acid in which the element is not ordinarily found. Exogenous DNA segments are expressed to yield exogenous polypeptides.

The term “gene” is used broadly to refer to any segment of DNA associated with a biological function. Thus, genes include coding sequences and/or the regulatory sequences required for their expression. Genes also include nonexpressed DNA segments that, for example, form recognition sequences for other proteins. Genes can be obtained from a variety of sources, including cloning from a source of interest or synthesizing from known or predicted sequence information, and may include sequences designed to have desired parameters.

The terms “polypeptide,” “peptide” and “protein” are used interchangeably herein to refer to a polymer of amino acid residues. The terms apply to amino acid polymers in which one or more amino acid residue is an artificial chemical mimetic of a corresponding naturally occurring amino acid, as well as to naturally occurring amino acid polymers and non-naturally occurring amino acid polymer.

The term “amino acid” refers to naturally occurring and synthetic amino acids, as well as amino acid analogs and amino acid mimetics that function in a manner similar to the naturally occurring amino acids. Naturally occurring amino acids are those encoded by the genetic code, as well as those amino acids that are later modified, e.g., hydroxyproline, γ-carboxyglutamate, and O-phosphoserine. Amino acid analogs refers to compounds that have the same basic chemical structure as a naturally occurring amino acid, i.e., a carbon that is bound to a hydrogen, a carboxyl group, an amino group, and an R group, e.g., homoserine, norleucine, methionine sulfoxide, methionine methyl sulfonium. Such analogs have modified R groups (e.g., norleucine) or modified peptide backbones, but retain the same basic chemical structure as a naturally occurring amino acid. Amino acid mimetics refers to chemical compounds that have a structure that is different from the general chemical structure of an amino acid, but that functions in a manner similar to a naturally occurring amino acid.

Amino acids may be referred to herein by either their commonly known three letter symbols or by the one-letter symbols recommended by the IUPAC-RJB Biochemical Nomenclature Commission. Nucleotides, likewise, may be referred to by their commonly accepted single-letter codes.

“Conservatively modified variants” applies to both amino acid and nucleic acid sequences. With respect to particular nucleic acid sequences, conservatively modified variants refers to those nucleic acids which encode identical or essentially identical amino acid sequences, or where the nucleic acid does not encode an amino acid sequence, to essentially identical sequences. Because of the degeneracy of the genetic code, a large number of functionally identical nucleic acids encode any given protein. For instance, the codons GCA, GCC, GCG and GCU all encode the amino acid alanine. Thus, at every position where an alanine is specified by a codon, the codon can be altered to any of the corresponding codons described without altering the encoded polypeptide. Such nucleic acid variations are “silent variations,” which are one species of conservatively modified variations. Every nucleic acid sequence herein which encodes a polypeptide also describes every possible silent variation of the nucleic acid. One of skill will recognize that each codon in a nucleic acid (except AUG, which is ordinarily the only codon for methionine, and TGG, which is ordinarily the only codon for tryptophan) can be modified to yield a functionally identical molecule. Accordingly, each silent variation of a nucleic acid which encodes a polypeptide is implicit in each described sequence.

As to amino acid sequences, one of skill will recognize that individual substitutions, deletions or additions to a nucleic acid, peptide, polypeptide, or protein sequence which alters, adds or deletes a single amino acid or a small percentage of amino acids (typically less than 5%, more typically less than 1%) in the encoded sequence is a “conservatively modified variant” where the alteration results in the substitution of an amino acid with a chemically similar amino acid. Conservative substitution tables providing functionally similar amino acids are well known in the art. Such conservatively modified variants are in addition to and do not exclude polymorphic variants, interspecies homologs, and alleles of the invention.

The following eight groups each contain amino acids that are conservative substitutions for one another:

-   1) Alanine (A), Glycine (G); -   2) Aspartic acid (D), Glutamic acid (E); -   3) Asparagine (N), Glutamine (Q); -   4) Arginine (R), Lysine (K); -   5) Isoleucine (1), Leucine (L), Methionine (M), Valine (V); -   6) Phenylalanine (F), Tyrosine (Y), Tryptophan (W); -   7) Serine (S), Threonine (T); and -   8) Cysteine (C), Methionine (M) -   (see, e.g., Creighton, Proteins (1984)).

Macromolecular structures such as polypeptide structures can be described in terms of various levels of organization. For a general discussion of this organization, see, e.g., Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell (3^(rd) ed., 1994) and Cantor and Schimmel, Biophysical Chemistry Part I: The Conformation of Biological Macromolecules (1980). “Primary structure” refers to the amino acid sequence of a particular peptide. “Secondary structure” refers to locally ordered, three dimensional structures within a polypeptide. These structures are commonly known as domains. Domains are portions of a polypeptide that form a compact unit of the polypeptide and are typically 15 to 350 amino acids long. Typical domains are made up of sections of lesser organization such as stretches of β-sheet and α-helices. “Tertiary structure” refers to the complete three dimensional structure of a polypeptide monomer. “Quaternary structure” refers to the three dimensional structure formed by the noncovalent association of independent tertiary units.

The term “isolated”, when applied to a nucleic acid or protein, denotes that the nucleic acid or protein is essentially free of other cellular components with which it is associated in the natural state. It is preferably in a homogeneous state although it can be in either a dry or aqueous solution. Purity and homogeneity are typically determined using analytical chemistry techniques such as polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis or high performance liquid chromatography. A protein which is the predominant species present in a preparation is substantially purified. In particular, an isolated gene is separated from open reading frames which flank the gene and encode a protein other than the gene of interest. The term “purified” denotes that a nucleic acid or protein gives rise to essentially one band in an electrophoretic gel. Particularly, it means that the nucleic acid or protein is at least about 50% pure, more preferably at least about 85% pure, and most preferably at least about 99% pure.

The term “naturally-occurring” is used to describe an object that can be found in nature as distinct from being artificially produced by man. For example, an organism, or a polypeptide or polynucleotide sequence that is present in an organism (including viruses, bacteria, protozoa, insects, plants or mammalian tissue) that can be isolated from a source in nature and which has not been intentionally modified by man in the laboratory is naturally-occurring.

“Nucleic acid derived from a gene” refers to a nucleic acid for whose synthesis the gene, or a subsequence thereof, has ultimately served as a template. Thus, an mRNA, a cDNA reverse transcribed from an mRNA, an RNA transcribed from that cDNA, a DNA amplified from the cDNA, an RNA transcribed from the amplified DNA, etc., are all derived from the gene and detection of such derived products is indicative of the presence and/or abundance of the original gene and/or gene transcript in a sample.

A nucleic acid is “operably linked” when it is placed into a functional relationship with another nucleic acid sequence. For instance, a promoter or enhancer is operably linked to a coding sequence if it increases the transcription of the coding sequence. Operably linked means that the DNA sequences being linked are typically contiguous and, where necessary to join two protein coding regions, contiguous and in reading frame. However, since enhancers generally function when separated from the promoter by several kilobases and intronic sequences may be of variable lengths, some polynucleotide elements may be operably linked but not contiguous.

The term “recombinant” when used with reference to a bacteria indicates that the host bacteria contains a heterologous nucleic acid, or expresses a peptide or protein encoded by a heterologous nucleic acid. Heterologous nucleic acids can integrate into the host bacteria chromosome and be expressed from host or heterologous promoters. Alternatively, heterologous nucleic acids can be expressed from an autonomously replicating plasmid. Recombinant bacteria can contain genes that are not found within the native (non-recombinant) form of the bacteria. Recombinant bacteria can also contain genes found in the native form of the bacteria wherein the genes are modified and re-introduced into the cell by artificial means. The term also encompasses bacteria that contain a nucleic acid endogenous to the bacteria that has been modified without removing the nucleic acid from the bacteria; such modifications include those obtained by gene replacement, site-specific mutation, and related techniques.

A “recombinant expression cassette” or simply an “expression cassette” is a nucleic acid construct, generated recombinantly or synthetically, with nucleic acid elements that are capable of effecting expression of a structural gene in hosts compatible with such sequences. Expression cassettes include at least promoters and optionally, transcription termination signals. Typically, the recombinant expression cassette includes a nucleic acid to be transcribed (e.g., a nucleic acid encoding a desired polypeptide or series of peptides), and a promoter. Additional factors necessary or helpful in effecting expression may also be used as described herein. For example, an expression cassette can also include nucleotide sequences that encode a signal sequence that directs secretion of an expressed protein from the host cell. Transcription termination signals, enhancers, and other nucleic acid sequences that influence gene expression, can also be included in an expression cassette. The recombinant expression cassette may be located on an autonomously replicating plasmid or may be integrated into the host genome.

The term “selectable marker” refers to a nucleotide sequence that encodes a protein and that confers either a positive or negative selective advantage to a bacteria expressing that marker. For example, an expression cassette comprising a selectable marker could comprise the aspartate β-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (asd) gene operably linked to a promoter. A recombinant plasmid capable of expressing asd could complement the asd phenotype of asd deletion mutants. Bacteria lacking asd would not be able to synthesize diaminopimelic acid, an essential element of the peptidoglycan of the bacterial cell wall, and would die. Examples of other selectable markers useful in bacteria include SacB, aroA, and heavy metal ion resistance genes.

The terms “identical” or percent “identity,” in the context of two or more nucleic acid or polypeptide sequences, refer to two or more sequences or subsequences that are the same or have a specified percentage of amino acid residues or nucleotides that are the same, when compared and aligned for maximum correspondence, as measured using one of the following sequence comparison algorithms or by visual inspection.

The phrase “substantially identical,” in the context of two nucleic acids or polypeptides, refers to two or more sequences or subsequences that have at least 60%, preferably 80%, most preferably 90-95% nucleotide or amino acid residue identity, when compared and aligned for maximum correspondence, as measured using one of the following sequence comparison algorithms or by visual inspection. Preferably, the substantial identity exists over a region of the sequences that is at least about 50 residues in length, more preferably over a region of at least about 100 residues, and most preferably the sequences are substantially identical over at least about 150 residues. In a most preferred embodiment, the sequences are substantially identical over the entire length of the coding regions.

For sequence comparison, typically one sequence acts as a reference sequence to which test sequences are compared. When using a sequence comparison algorithm, test and reference sequences are input into a computer, subsequence coordinates are designated, if necessary, and sequence algorithm program parameters are designated. The sequence comparison algorithm then calculates the percent sequence identity for the test sequence(s) relative to the reference sequence, based on the designated program parameters.

Optimal alignment of sequences for comparison can be conducted, e.g., by the local homology algorithm of Smith & Waterman, Adv. Appl. Math. 2:482 (1981), by the homology alignment algorithm of Needleman & Wunsch, J. Mot. Biol. 48:443 (1970), by the search for similarity method of Pearson & Lipman, Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. USA 85:2444 (1988), by computerized implementations of these algorithms (GAP, BESTFIT, FASTA, and TFASTA in the Wisconsin Genetics Software Package, Genetics Computer Group, 575 Science Dr., Madison, Wis.), or by visual inspection (see generally Ausubel et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley and Sons Inc. New York, N.Y. (2001)).

One example of an algorithm that is suitable for determining percent sequence identity and sequence similarity is the BLAST algorithm, which is described in Altschul et al., J. Mol. Biol. 215:403-410 (1990). Software for performing BLAST analyses is publicly available through the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

A “subsequence” refers to a sequence of nucleic acids or amino acids that comprise a part of a longer sequence of nucleic acids or amino acids (e.g., polypeptide) respectively.

The term “protective immunity” means that a vaccine or immunization schedule that is administered to a mammal induces an immune response that prevents, retards the development of, or reduces the severity of a disease or infection that is caused by Shigella sonnei, or diminishes or altogether eliminates the symptoms of the disease or infection.

The phrase “sufficient to invoke an immunoprotective response” means that there is a detectable difference between an immune response indicator measured before and after administration of a particular antigen preparation. Immune response indicators include but are not limited to: antibody titer or specificity, as detected by an assay such as enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), bactericidal assay, flow cytometry, immunoprecipitation, Ouchter-Lowny immunodiffusion; binding detection assays of, for example, spot, Western blot or antigen arrays; cytotoxicity assays, etc.

A “surface antigen” is an antigen that is present in a surface structure of a bacteria such as the Shigella sonnei form I O-Ps antigen, which is capable of generating an immunoprotective response when expressed by a recombinant bacteria and presented to a host organism in an immunoprotective composition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a living, attenuated, oral vaccine capable of inducing an immunoprotective response against Shigella sonnei. The invention is based on an attenuated strain of bacteria which has been genetically engineered to carry the genes encoding the enzymes capable of synthesizing the S. sonnei form I O-Ps antigen. These recombinant bacteria are useful in an immunoprotective composition to induce an immunoprotective response in a susceptible host organism. In addition to infections caused by S. sonnei, enteric infections caused by other organisms are considered amenable to treatment with a combination vaccine according to this invention. For example, genes encoding the surface antigens derived from other Shigella strains such as S. flexneri, S. dysenteriae, and S. boydii (see e.g., Baron et al., Infect. and Immun. 55:2797 (1987)) can be transferred into recipient bacteria independently of or concurrently with the S. sonnei rfb/rfc gene cluster. The resulting recombinant bacteria can then express two or more heterologous surface antigens suitable for generating an immunoprotective response in a host organism. Alternatively, the oral vaccine may contain multiple strains of attenuated bacteria, each strain expressing a different heterologous antigen. This resulting vaccine would also be suitable for generating an immunoprotective response against multiple antigens in a host organism.

Genes encoding other antigens, such as Salmonella typhi Vi antigen and genes encoding non-toxic variants of toxins derived from enterotoxogenic strains such as Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholera, and Yersinia can also be transferred independently of or concurrently with the S. sonnei rfb/rfc gene cluster into bacterial hosts (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,830). In a preferred embodiment, the Vi antigen or non-toxic variants of the enterotoxins should be expressed in such a way that the proteins are present on the surface of the recombinant bacteria or secreted by the recombinant bacteria. The resulting recombinant bacteria would be useful in immunogenic compositions for generating an immunoprotective response to these additional antigens. Enteric disease caused by bacterial secretion of an exotoxin exemplified by staphylococcal, clostridial or similar food poisoning are also considered amenable to treatment with an immunoprotective composition according to this invention using an approach similar to the approach used for enterotoxins.

Nucleic acids encoding the S. sonnei rfb/rfc gene cluster as exemplified in SEQ ID NO:2-4, the O17 gene cluster, or other antigens are typically cloned into vectors for transformation into bacterial cells for replication, expression, and cell transformation. Such vectors are typically prokaryotic vectors, e.g., plasmids that act as shuttle vectors, or for production of protein. The elements that are typically included in vectors include a replicon that functions in the recombinant bacteria, a gene encoding a selectable marker to permit selection of bacteria that harbor recombinant plasmids, and unique restriction sites in nonessential regions of the plasmid to allow insertion of recombinant sequences. Selectable markers may include a gene encoding antibiotic resistance, or may include a gene encoding a protein whose naturally occurring gene has been mutated resulting in an attenuated strain of bacteria. Examples of suitable targets for mutation include genes that would result in essential auxotrophic pathways, loci encoding regulons that exert pleiotropic effects such as the cya/crp system, the ompR/envZ system or the phoP system (see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,672,345, 5,980,907, 6,190,669). A preferred selectable marker is the aspartate β-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (asd) gene operably linked to a promoter. A recombinant plasmid capable of expressing asd could complement the asd phenotype of attenuated bacterial strains suitable for use in vaccines and containing asd deletion mutantations. Bacteria lacking asd would not be able to synthesize diaminopimelic acid, an essential element of the peptidoglycan of the bacterial cell wall, and would die. Examples of other selectable markers useful in bacteria include SacB, aroA, and heavy metal ion resistance genes.

Alternatively, vectors containing nucleic acids encoding the enzymes that produce the form I O-Ps antigen may be transformed into bacterial cells carrying a mutation in the msbB gene. Mutations in this gene fail to myristylate lipid A. Bacteria containing this mutation may contain additional mutations resulting in attenuated bacteria and vectors containing the enzymes that produce the form I O-Ps may contain selectable markers. Form I O-Ps produced in bacteria containing a mutation in the msbB gene may be purified using techniques well known to those of skill in the art and used in an immunoprotective composition directly.

To obtain expression of the S. sonnei rfb/rfc gene cluster, the O17 gene cluster, or other antigens, the nucleic acids encoding the appropriate gene(s) are typically subcloned using techniques well known to those of skill in the art, into an expression vector that contains a promoter to direct transcription. Suitable bacterial promoters are well known in the art and described, e.g., in Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual (2nd ed. 1989); Kriegler, Gene Transfer and Expression: A Laboratory Manual (1990); and Current Protocols in Molecular Biology (Ausubel et al., eds., 2001).

The promoter used to direct expression of the S. sonnei rfb/rfc gene cluster, the O17 gene cluster, or other antigen depends on the particular application. Either a constitutive or an inducible promoter may be used. Preferably, a constitutive promoter is used. Alternatively, the promoter which drives the normal expression of the S. sonnei rfb/rfc gene cluster can be used.

The promoter typically can also include elements that are responsive to transactivation, e.g., hypoxia response elements, Gal4 response elements, lac repressor response element, and small molecule control systems such as tet-regulated systems and the like (see, e.g., Gossen & Bujard, Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci. USA 89:5547 (1992); Oligino et al., Gene Ther. 5:491-496 (1998); Wang et al., Gene Ther. 4:432-441 (1997); Neering et al., Blood 88:1147-1155 (1996); and Rendahl et al., Nat. Biotechnol. 16:757-761 (1998)).

In addition to the promoter, the expression vector typically contains a transcription unit or expression cassette that contains all the additional elements required for the expression of the nucleic acid in recombinant bacteria. A typical expression cassette thus contains a promoter operably linked, e.g., to the nucleic acid sequence encoding the rfb/rfc gene cluster, and signals required, e.g., for transcriptional termination, ribosome binding sites, or translation termination. Additional elements of the cassette may include, e.g., regulatory proteins.

Standard bacterial vectors include plasmids such as pBR322 based plasmids, pBR325, pUC18, pSKF, pET23D, and pBR322 based cosmid vectors such as pHC79 and pCVD551. Vectors based on the bacterial plasmid pSC101 such as pGB-2 may also be used.

Standard transformation methods are used to produce bacterial cell lines that express the surface antigen proteins of the invention. Transformation of prokaryotic cells are performed according to standard techniques (see, e.g., Morrison, J. Bact. 132:349-351 (1977); Sambrook et al. supra; Ausubel et al. supra). These methods include microinjection, ballistics, use of calcium chloride transformation, infection, conjugation, and electroporation of plasmid vectors, both episomal and integrative, and any of the other well known methods for introducing cloned genomic DNA, synthetic DNA or other foreign genetic material into a recombinant bacteria (see, e.g., Sambrook et al., supra, see also U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,049,386, 4,946,787; 4,897,355; WO 91/17424, and WO 91/16024). It is only necessary that the particular genetic engineering procedure used be capable of successfully introducing at least one gene into the recombinant bacteria capable of expressing the protein of choice.

The microorganisms which are used to express the S. sonnei rfb/rfc gene cluster, the O17 gene cluster and other antigens for use in immunoprotective compositions include without limitation, Campylobacter sp., Yersinia sp., Helicobacter sp., Gastrospirillum sp., Bacteroides sp., Klebsiella sp., Lactobacillis sp., Streptococcus gordonii, Enterobacter sp., Salmonella sp., Shigella sp., Aeromonas sp., Vibrio sp., Clostridium sp., Enterococcus sp. and Escherichia coli (see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,858,352, and 6,051,416, and Levine et al., in “New Generation Vaccines Second Edition” ed. Levine et al., Marcel Dekker, Inc. pp 351-361 (1997), Levine et al., in “New Generation Vaccines Second Edition” ed. Levine et al., Marcel Dekker, Inc. pp 437-446 (1997), Butterton et al., in “New Generation Vaccines Second Edition” ed. Levine et al., Marcel Dekker, Inc. pp 379-385 (1997) and Fennelly et al., in “New Generation Vaccines Second Edition” ed. Levine et al., Marcel Dekker, Inc. pp 363-377 (1997)).

Preferred enteric bacteria that the various aspects of the present invention relate to are Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Yersinia enterocolitica, Yersinia pestis, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, Escherichia coli, Shigella flexneri, Shigella sonnei, Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella boydii, Helicobacter pylori, Helicobacter felis, Gastrospirillum hominus, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, Bacteroides fragilis, Clostridium difficile, Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella gallinarum, Salmonella pullorum, Salmonella choleraesuis, Salmonella enteritidis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, and Enterococcus faecalis. Preferred Escherichia coli include but are not limited to entero-toxic, entero-hemorrhagic, entero-invasive, entero-pathogenic or other strains.

More preferred strains of Escherichia coli include DH5α and HB101. More preferred strains of Salmonella typhi include CVD 908, CVD 908-htrA, X4073 and TY800. More preferred strains of Shigella sonnei include 53GI and 53 GII.

Most preferred strains of bacteria to use as live attenuated vaccines include S. typhi, strain Ty21a, which carries a mutation in its galE gene, and V. cholerae carrying mutations in its ctxA gene which prevent the expression of cholera toxin.

Attenuated vaccines can be administered directly to the mammal. The vaccines obtained using the methods of the invention can be formulated as pharmaceutical compositions for administration in any suitable manner. The preferred route of administration is oral. Other routes of administration include rectal, intrathecal, buccal (e.g., sublingual) inhalation, intranasal, and transdermal (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,938). Although more than one route can be used to administer a particular composition, a particular route can often provide a more immediate and more effective reaction than another route.

The immunoprotective compositions to be administered are provided in a pharmaceutically acceptable solution such as an aqueous solution, often a saline or buffered solution, or they can be provided in powder form. There is a wide variety of suitable formulations of pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention. See, e.g., Lieberman, Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Marcel Dekker, Vols. 1-3 (1998); Remington's Pharmaceutical Science, 17th ed., Mack Publishing Company, Easton, Pa. (1985) and similar publications. The compositions may also include an adjuvant. Examples of known suitable adjuvants include alum, aluminum phosphate, aluminum hydroxide, and MF59 (4.3% w/v squalene, 0.5% w/v Tween 80, 0.5% w/v Span 85)—these are the only ones currently licensed for use in humans. For experimental animals, one can use Freund's, N-acetyl-muramyl-L-threonyl-D-isoglutamine (thr-MDP), N-acetyl-nor-muramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine (CGP 11637, referred to as nor-MDP), N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutaminyl-L-alanine-2-(1′-2′-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-hydroxyphosphoryloxy)-ethylamine (CGP 19835A, referred to as MTP-PE), and RIBI, which contains three components extracted from bacteria, monophosphoryl lipid A, trehalose dimycolate and cell wall skeleton (MPL+TDM+CWS) in a 2% squalene/Tween 80 emulsion, or Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG). The effectiveness of an adjuvant may be determined by measuring the amount of antibodies directed against the immunogenic antigen.

The concentration of immunogenic antigens of the invention in the pharmaceutical formulations can vary widely, i.e. from less than about 0.1%, usually at or at least about 2% to as much as 20% to 50% or more by weight, and will be selected primarily by fluid volumes, viscosities, etc., in accordance with the particular mode of administration selected.

Formulations suitable for oral administration can consist of (a) liquid solutions, such as an effective amount of the recombinant bacteria suspended in diluents, such as buffered water, saline or PEG 400; (b) capsules, sachets or tablets, each containing a predetermined amount of the active ingredient, as lyophilized powder, liquids, solids, granules or gelatin; (c) suspensions in an appropriate liquid; and (d) suitable emulsions. Tablet forms can include one or more of lactose, sucrose, mannitol, sorbitol, calcium phosphates, corn starch, potato starch, tragacanth, microcrystalline cellulose, acacia, gelatin, colloidal silicon dioxide, croscarmellose sodium, talc, magnesium stearate, stearic acid, and other excipients, colorants, fillers, binders, diluents, buffering agents, moistening agents, preservatives, flavoring agents, dyes, disintegrating agents, and pharmaceutically compatible carriers. Lozenge forms can comprise the active ingredient in a flavor, usually sucrose and acacia or tragacanth, as well as pastilles comprising the active ingredient in an inert base, such as gelatin and glycerin or sucrose and acacia emulsions, gels, and the like containing, in addition to the active ingredient, carriers known in the art. It is recognized that the attenuated vaccines, when administered orally, must be protected from digestion. This is typically accomplished either by complexing the vaccines with a composition to render it resistant to acidic and enzymatic hydrolysis or by packaging the vaccines in an appropriately resistant carrier such as a liposome or enteric coated capsules. Means of protecting the attenuated bacteria from digestion are well known in the art. The pharmaceutical compositions can be encapsulated, e.g., in liposomes, or in a formulation that provides for slow release of the active ingredient.

The attenuated vaccines, alone or in combination with other suitable components, can be made into aerosol formulations (e.g., they can be “nebulized”) to be administered via inhalation. Aerosol formulations can be placed into pressurized acceptable propellants, such as dichlorodifluoromethane, propane, nitrogen, and the like.

The dose administered to a patient, in the context of the present invention should be sufficient to effect a beneficial therapeutic and/or prophylactic response in the patient over time. The dose will be determined by the efficacy of the particular attenuated vaccine employed and the condition of the patient, as well as the body weight or vascular surface area of the patient to be treated. The size of the dose also will be determined by the existence, nature, and extent of any adverse side-effects that accompany the administration of a particular vaccine in a particular patient.

In determining the effective amount of the vaccine to be administered in the treatment or prophylaxis of an infection or other condition, the physician evaluates vaccine toxicities, progression of the disease, and the production of anti-vaccine vector antibodies, if any.

The compositions are administered to an animal that is at risk from acquiring an infection caused by S. sonnei or to prevent or at least partially arrest the development of the infection and its complications. An amount adequate to accomplish this is defined as a “therapeutically effective dose.” Amounts effective for therapeutic use will depend on, e.g., the antigen composition, the manner of administration, the weight and general state of health of the patient, and the judgment of the prescribing physician. Single or multiple doses of the antigen compositions may be administered depending on the dosage and frequency required and tolerated by the patient, and route of administration.

In particular embodiments, a therapeutically effective dose of the immunoprotective composition is administered to an individual. Amounts of live attenutated bacteria expressing the S. sonnei rfb/rfc gene cluster (SEQ ID NOs: 2-4), the O17 gene cluster, or other antigens present in the initial immunization generally range from about 5×10⁶ to 5×10¹¹ organisms per patient, and more commonly from about 5×10⁸ to 5×10⁹ organisms per patient.

The existence of an immune response to the first dose of the immunoprotective composition may be determined by known methods (e.g. by obtaining serum from the individual before and after the initial immunization, and demonstrating a change in the individual's immune status, for example an immunoprecipitation assay, or an ELISA, or a bactericidal assay, or a Western blot, or flow cytometric assay, or the like) prior to administering a subsequent dose. The existence of an immune response to the first dose may also be assumed by waiting for a period of time after the first immunization that, based on previous experience, is a sufficient time for an immune response and/or priming to have taken place—e.g. 1, 2, 4, 6, 10 or 14 weeks. Boosting dosages of the immunoprotective composition will contain from about 5×10⁶ to 5×10¹¹ organisms per patient, depending on the nature of the immunogen.

The immunoprotective compositions are typically administered to an individual that is immunologically naïve with respect to Shigella sonnei. In a particular embodiment, the individual is a human child about 1-4 years of age or younger, and the antigen compositions are administered preferrably at 12 months of age with booster doses given approximately one week apart. Usually, 2-4 doses may be sufficient, however additional doses may be required to achieve a high level of immunity. Additional booster doses may be given every 1-5 years, as necessary, to maintain a high level of immunity.

In general, administration to any individual should begin prior to the first sign of disease, or possibly at the first sign of possible or actual exposure to Shigella.

The toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of the attenuated vaccines provided by the invention are determined using standard pharmaceutical procedures in cell cultures or experimental animals. One can determine the ED₅₀ (the dose therapeutically effective in 50% of the population) using procedures presented herein and those otherwise known to those of skill in the art.

The attenuated vaccines of the invention can be packaged in packs, dispenser devices, and kits for administering genetic vaccines to a mammal. For example, packs or dispenser devices that contain one or more unit dosage forms are provided. Typically, instructions for administration of the compounds will be provided with the packaging, along with a suitable indication on the label that the compound is suitable for treatment of an indicated condition. For example, the label may state that the active compound within the packaging is useful for treating a particular infectious disease, enteric disorder, or for preventing or treating other diseases or conditions that are mediated by, or potentially susceptible to, a mammalian immune response.

EXAMPLES

The following example is offered to illustrate, but not to limit the claimed invention.

I. Materials and Methods

Bacterial Strains, Plasmids, and Growth Conditions.

The bacterial strains and plasmids utilized are described in Table 1. Wild type S. sonnei strain 53G form I (i.e. 53GI), harboring the 180 kb virulence plasmid, was used for cloning studies and as a positive control for LPS analysis and immunoblot assays. Studies of plasmid-based form I O-Ps expression were performed in E. coli strains HB101 or DH5α, Salmonella serovar Typhi strain Ty21a, and virulence plasmid-minus S. sonnei strain 53G form II (i.e. 53GII).

Cosmids pHC79 and pCVD551 (kindly provided by Timothy McDaniel, Center for Vaccine Development, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Md.) were employed to clone segments of the 180 kb plasmid of S. sonnei 53GI. Plasmid vectors pBR325, pGB2 and pUC18 were used for subcloning.

Bacterial strains were grown at 37° C. in Luria-Bertani broth (LB) or on LB agar (Difco). Plasmid-containing strains were selected in media containing ampicillin (Ap, 100 μg/ml), spectinomycin (Sp, 50 μg/ml), chloramphenicol (Cm, 35 μg/ml), or tetracycline (Tc, 20 μg/ml).

Plasmid Manipulations.

Unless otherwise noted all DNA manipulations were performed essentially following the procedures outlined in Sambrook et al. (35). Restriction enzymes were used with the buffers supplied by the manufacturer (Roche). Electroporation of plasmid constructs was performed with a GENE PULSER™ (Bio-Rad).

Cloning of S. sonnei Form I Genes.

pWR101 and pWR102 are form I antigen-expressing cosmids that contain large overlapping regions of the S. sonnei 180 kb plasmid from strain 53GI (D. J. Kopecko, L. S. Baron, T. L. Hale, S. B. Formal and K. Noon, Abstr. 83th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, abstr. D 10, 1983). These recombinant cosmids, initially selected in E. coli recipients on antibiotic-containing media, were identified by colony immunoblotting and bacterial agglutination assays using purified form I O-antigen-specific, rabbit polyclonal antiserum (see below). The essential form I genes and flanking sequences were subcloned from the 39 kb insert of pWR101 (Table 1). First, pWR101 DNA was digested with BamH1 and a resulting 30 kb fragment was ligated to the isoschizomer BglII-digested cosmid pCVD551. DNA was packaged in lambda phage particles in vitro using a commercial kit (GIGAPACK® II Plus Packaging Extract, Stratagene) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Lambda-packaged DNA was used to infect E. coli HB101 or DH5α, and the recombinants were screened for form I antigen expression by colony immunoblotting. A HindIII partial digest of one form I-expressing clone, designated pXG914, was ligated to the multicopy plasmids pUC18 and pBR325, and the low copy plasmid pGB-2 (7). Inserts representing one or more of three contiguous HindIII fragments of 12.4, 1.2 and 2.1 kb were initially obtained (i.e. pXK67 (comprising SEQ ID NO:1), pXK68 (comprising SEQ ID NO:1), pXK66 (comprising SEQ ID NO:2), pXK65 (comprising SEQ ID NO:2) and pXK46 (comprising SEQ ID NO:5)).

DNA Sequencing and Analysis.

DNA sequencing was performed using Ready Reactions DyeDeoxy Terminator cycle sequencing kits (Applied Biosystems) and an ABI model 373A automated sequencer. Subclones used for sequencing studies included pXK2.1 (comprising SEQ ID NO:9), pXK1.2 (comprising SEQ ID NO:10), pXK1.4 (comprising SEQ ID NO:11), pXK47 and pXG914 (Table 1). Limited sequencing of pWR102 was also performed. Sequences were assembled and analyzed using the Vector NTI suite 6.0 software (InforMax, Inc.). DNA homology searches were performed using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) of the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The GenBank sequence accession number for the 17,986 by sequence of pWR101 identified in this work is AF294823 (comprising SEQ ID NO:7) and the accession number for the 2,964 by sequence of pWR102 is AF455358 (comprising SEQ ID NO:8).

Antisera and Slide Agglutination.

Rabbit polyclonal form I specific antiserum, kindly provided by S. Formal (Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, D.C.), was produced by repeated immunization of New Zealand white rabbits with whole cells of heat-killed S. sonnei 53GI. Group D-specific Shigella typing sera (Difco) was also utilized. These rabbit antisera were absorbed with heat-treated (70° C., 30 min) S. sonnei form II and E. coli HB101 cells. Packed cells (0.1 ml) were added to 1.0 ml of undiluted or 10-fold diluted antiserum, mixed and incubated for 2 h at 37° C. and overnight at 4° C. Following centrifugation, the absorbed antiserum was stored at 4° C. for use in bacterial agglutination assays performed on microscope slides as previously described (12). Absorbed form I-specific antiserum did not agglutinate E. coli, S. sonnei 53GII or Salmonella host strains.

LPS and Immunoblot Analyses.

Salmonella, Shigella, and E. coli strains carrying various plasmid constructs were grown overnight with aeration at 37° C. in LB media containing appropriate antibiotics. Bacteria were pelleted by centrifugation and lysed in SDS-PAGE sample buffer containing 4% 2-mercaptoethanol. The sample was boiled for 5 min, treated with proteinase K for 1 h and analyzed by SDS-PAGE using a 15% gel and the Laemmli buffer system (28). Gels were silver-stained (22) or subjected to Western blotting with form I-specific antiserum.

Western blotting was performed using PVDF membranes (Schleicher & Schuell). The membranes were blocked with 5% non-fat dry milk in Tris-buffered saline (TBS; 20 mM Tris-HCl, 150 mM NaCl, pH7.5) and reacted with anti-form I serum followed by protein A-alkaline phosphatase conjugate. The developing solution consisted of 200 mg of Fast Red TR salt and 100 mg of Naphthol NS-MX phosphate (Sigma) in 50 ml of 50 mM Tris buffer (pH 8.0).

Recombinant clones expressing the S. sonnei O-Ps were identified by colony immunoblotting performed with anti-form I serum and protein A-alkaline phosphatase conjugate as described above. Colonies of recipient E. coli, S. sonnei 53G II, or S. Typhi strains alone did not react with the absorbed form I-specific antisera under these conditions.

Stability of Form I O-Ps Expression in Salmonella.

Several S. Typhi Ty21a strains, each containing a different form I-expressing recombinant plasmid, were tested for stability of form I O-Ps expression. Each form I-expressing strain was diluted to approximately 100 cfu per ml and grown for 12 h (i.e. approximately 25 generations) with aeration at 37° C. in LB media under nonselective conditions (i.e. without antibiotics). These cultures were diluted again to 100 cfu per ml in LB and grown for an additional 12 h. Samples taken after 12 and 24 h of nonselective growth were plated onto LB agar without antibiotics and incubated at 37° C. At least 100 colonies of each strain were tested at each time point for O-Ps expression by the colony immunoblot assay.

Animal Immunization Study.

Outbred ICR mice weighing from 13 to 15 g were used to assess immune protection as described previously (12). Vaccine candidate strains and control Ty21a alone were grown overnight in BHI broth (Difco) supplemented with 0.01% galactose, washed, and suspended in sterile saline to a concentration of 5×10⁷ cfu per ml. Mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with a single 0.5 ml dose of either vaccine or control cell suspensions or sterile saline. Immunized and control mice were challenged 5 weeks postimmunization with 5×10⁵ cfu (approximately 100×LD₅₀) of freshly grown, mid-log phase S. sonnei strain 53GI in 0.5 ml of 5% hog gastric mucin (Sigma) in sterile saline. Survival was monitored for 96 h.

II. Results

Cloning and Genetic Downsizing for Expression of the Form I O-Antigen Locus.

To delimit the DNA region required for biosynthesis of form I antigen, we initially cloned this region from S. sonnei strain 53GI in cosmids (see Methods). The 30 kb BamH1 insert of pXG914, which directs the expression of typical form I LPS in E. coli, was partially digested with HindIII and separately ligated to low and high copy plasmid vectors pGB-2, pBR325, and pUC18. The resulting form I-expressing subclones (Table 1), containing inserts comprised of one or more of three adjacent HindIII fragments of 12.4, 1.2, and 2.1 kb (e.g. pXK67, pXK65, and pXK46 and several additional deletion derivatives (i.e. pXK45, pXK47, and pXK50) were characterized for form I expression in three host backgrounds (i.e. E. coli, S. Typhi, and S. sonnei) (FIG. 1). Plasmid inserts ranging in size from 15.7 to 12.4 kb all directed form I antigen expression in each host as shown by results of bacterial agglutination of plasmid bearing subclones with form I-specific antiserum (FIG. 1B). However, this antiserum did not agglutinate bacteria containing pXK47, which contains an 11 kb insert, like the one previously reported (24) to contain the entire form I biosynthetic region. In the present study, the smallest inserts that directed form I antigen expression were the 12.7 and 12.4 kb inserts of plasmids pXK50 and pXK46, respectively. However, form I specific agglutination of host strains containing pXK46 was weak and did not correlate with the detection of typical polymerized O-antigen as described below.

TABLE 1 Bacterial strains and plasmids Strain/Plasmid Genotype/Description Reference Strain E. coli DH5α supE44, hsdR17, recA1, endA1, gyrA96, thi-1, relA1 (35) HB101 supE44, hsdS20 (r_(B) ⁻m_(B) ⁻), recA13, ara-14, proA2, lacY1, galk2, (35) rpsL20, xyl-5, mtl-1 S. Typhi Ty21a galE, ilvD, viaB (Vi⁻), H₂S⁻ (14) S. sonnei 53GI form I (phase I), virulent isolate (26) 53GII form II (phase II), avirulent variant (26) Plasmid pGB-2 pSC101 derivative, low copy plasmid; Sm^(r), Spc^(r)  (7) pBR325 pBR322-derived plasmid; Cm^(r), Ap^(r), Tc^(r)  (4) pUC18 pBR322-derived cloning vector; Lac^(+,) Ap^(r) (41) pHC79 pBR322-derived cosmid; Ap^(r), Tc^(r) (23) pCVD551 pHC79-derived cosmid; Cm^(r) Timothy McDaniel pWR101 S. sonnei form I positive cosmid clone #19; Tc^(r) (26) pWR102 S. sonnei form I positive cosmid clone #27; Tc^(r) (26) pXG914 30 kb BamHI fragment of pWR101 cloned into pCVD551 cosmid; This study Cm^(r) pXK68 15.7 kb HindIII fragment of pXG914 cloned into pBR325; Ap^(r), This study Cm^(r) pXK67 15.7 kb HindIII fragment of pXG914 cloned into pGB-2; Sm^(r), Spc^(r) This study pXK66 13.6 kb HindIII fragment from pXG914 cloned into pBR325; Ap^(r), This study Cm^(r) PXK65 13.6 kb HindIII fragment of pXK67 cloned into pGB-2; Sm^(r), Spc^(r) This study pXK45 13.3 kb HindIII-SmaI fragment of pXK45 cloned into pGB-2; Sm^(r), This study Spc^(r) pXK50 12.7 kb HindIII-PmeI fragment of pXK45 cloned into pGB-2; Sm^(r), This study Spc^(r) pXK46 12.4 kb HindIII fragment of pXK67 cloned into pUC18, Ap^(r) This study pXK47 11.0 kb XbaI-HindIII fragment of pXK46 cloned into pUC18; Ap^(r) This study pXK2.1 2.1 kb HindIII fragment of pXK67 cloned into pUC18; Ap^(r) This study pXK1.2 1.2 kb HindIII fragment of pXK67 cloned into pUC18; Ap^(r) This study pXK1.4 1.4 kb XbaI-HindIII fragment of pXK46 cloned into pUC18; Ap^(r) This study

Plasmid-based expression of form I O-Ps in each host was further examined by SDS-PAGE followed by silver-staining and Western blotting with form I-specific antisera (FIG. 2). LPS from wildtype S. sonnei 53GI gave a typical O-antigen ladder pattern with the predominant chain length of 20 to 25 O-units as detected by silver stain or immunoblotting (FIG. 2A). Immunoblotting also detected additional material of lower mobility, well above the position of 25 O-repeats, suggesting capsule-like expression. As expected, anti-form I reactive material was not detected with S. sonnei 53GII or the “rough” E. coli HB101. However, recipient 53011 or HB101 carrying either pXK67 or pXK65 showed typical LPS ladder patterns like that seen from parent strain 53GI. Similar LPS ladder patterns were detected in further studies of E. coli carrying cosmid pWR101, pXG914, pXK45 containing a 13.3 kb insert (FIG. 2B) or pXK50 containing a 12.7 kb insert (data not shown). In contrast, a dramatic loss of form I immunoreactive material was noted in either Shigella (FIG. 2A) or E. coli (FIG. 2B) containing pXK46, which has a 12.4 kb insert. Moreover, host strains carrying pXK47, which has an 11 kb insert, showed no reaction by silver staining or immunoblotting (data not shown).

S. Typhi Ty21a exhibited a typical and distinctive 9,12 LPS ladder pattern by silver-stain analysis, but, as expected, showed no form I antigen by immunoblotting (FIG. 2C). The presence of pXK67, pXK65, or pXK45 (FIG. 2C) or the smaller pXK50 (data not shown) in Ty21a did not noticeably affect the silver-stained O-antigen pattern of this strain. However, immunoblot analysis revealed that these plasmids directed the expression of anti-form I reactive material. The form I material in S. Typhi did not migrate as LPS and presumably was attached to carrier lipid as proposed previously (37). No immunoreactive form I O-Ps was detected in strain Ty21a carrying pXK46. Thus, the combined results suggest that plasmids pXK67, pXK65, pXK45, and pXK50, but not pXK46, contain the essential genes for synthesizing form I O-Ps in each of the three host strains examined.

Sequence Analysis of the Form I Gene Region.

A contiguous segment of about 18 kb was sequenced to characterize the form I biosynthetic gene region and evolutionarily important adjacent regions, (see FIG. 1C; Genbank #AF294823). Primary analysis of this sequence revealed 18 ORFs, the properties of which are summarized in Table 2 and FIG. 1. The notably higher GC content for ORFS, ORFs 11 through 13 and other terminal sequences, compared with the remainder of the form I region, suggests different evolutionary origins for these sequences.

The inserts of all plasmids that direct the expression of typical form I antigen (FIG. 1B) begin at the HindIII site located at nucleotide position 1,310 of our sequence, in the middle of ORF3, a homolog of wzz. Ten identically oriented ORFs (i.e. ORFs 4 to 13) occur within the 12.7 kb insert of pXK50, the smallest insert that directs typical form I antigen expression. One of these ORFs (i.e. ORF 8 in FIG. 1C) represents the transposase of IS630, which is inserted nonpolarly into the C-terminus of the preceding biosynthetic ORF as noted previously (38). All remaining ORFs present within the pXK50 insert are homologs of known genes for polysaccharide biosynthesis (Table 2), except ORF9, which we suggest, encodes a C5-epimerase based on the need for such an enzyme in our proposed biosynthetic pathway (see Discussion). The presence of a putative promoter, identified by a −35 and −10 consensus sequence (ATTACCN₁₅TATAGT) (SEQ ID NO:12) at nucleotide positions 1,645 to 1,671 of our sequence (i.e. AF294823, SEQ ID NO:7) and a typical transcriptional terminator, identified by a stem-loop structure and adjacent poly(T) sequence at nucleotide positions 13,930 to 13,949 of SEQ ID NO:7 (and is SEQ ID NO:13) defines an essential 12.3 kb region required for form I O-Ps biosynthesis by our plasmid subclones. This region, which contains 10 intact ORFs, including the transposase of IS630, begins near the 3′ end of ORF3 and ends between ORF13 and ORF14 (FIG. 1C).

Sequencing of the operon-adjacent regions revealed several interesting features that aid in understanding the evolution of the plasmid-borne form I region.

TABLE 2 Summary of S. sonnei 53G ORFs Gene Location in (G + C) aa Identity Proposed function ORF Name Sequence % no. Selected Homolog (accession no.) % (aa^(a)) of 53G protein 1 insB 519-16  54.4 167 IS1 (InsB), E. coli (AJ223474) 98 (167) IS1 transposase 2 insA 713-438 52.5 91 IS1 (InsA), E. coli (AJ223475) 100 (91)  IS1protein 3 wzz   788-1,720 36.4 310 Wzz, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (AB041266) 35 (328) chain length Wzz, E. coli (AF011911) 26 (292) determinant 4 wbgT 1,756-3,069 36.1 437 WbpO, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (AF035937) 74 (418) UDP-GalNAc WcdA, Salmonella typhi (D14156) 63 (418) dehydrogenase 5 wbgU 3,150-4,187 34.1 345 WbpP, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (AF035937) 67 (343) UDP-GlcNAc WcdB, Salmonella typhi (D14156) 65 (338) C4-epimerase 6 wzx 4,276-5,556 28.1 426 Cps19CJ, Streptococcus pneumoniae (AF105116) 21 (394) repeat unit Wzx, Escherichia coli (AF104912) 19 (393) transporter 7 wzy 5,625-6,797 29.8 390 Cap14H, Streptococcus pneumoniae (X85787) 25 (201) polysaccharide polymerase 8 IS630 6,894-7,925 52.8 343 IS630 (ORF343), S. sonnei (P16943) 99 (343) IS630 transposase 9 wbgV 7,958-9,202 29.9 414 None none UDP-GalNAcA C5-epimerase^(b) 10 wbgW  9,186-10,181 26.6 331 WaaV, E. coli (AF019746) 27 (237) glycosyl transfease LgtA, Neisseria gonorrhoeae (U14554) 30 (142) 11 wbgX 10,178-11,332 37.6 384 WlbF, Bordetella bronchiseptica (AJ007747) 55 (392) amino-sugar Per, E. coli (AF061251) 34 (383) synthetase RfbE, Vibrio cholerae (X59554) 31 (380) 12 wbgY 11,349-11,939 35.4 196 WlbG, Bordetella pertussis (X90711) 53 (194) glycosyl transferase WcaJ, E. coli K-12 (U38473) 34 (197) WbaP, E. coli K30 (AF104912) 31 (212) 13 wbgZ 11,954-13,873 44.3 639 WbcP, Yersinia enterocolitica (Z47767) 68 (633) UDP-GlcNAc WbpM, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (U50396) 49 (657) C6-dehydratase WlbL, Bordetella pertussis (X90711) 49 (592) C4-reductase FlaA1, Helicobacter pylori (AE000595) 28 (297) 14 aqpZ 13,992-14,504 55.5 170 ORF10P, P. shigelloides (AB025970) 99 (146) water channel AqpZ, E. coli (AE000189) 71 (146) protein 15 orfA 14,657-14,983 53.8 108 IS629 (ORFA), S. sonnei (P16941) 99 (108) IS629 transposase 16 InsB 16,706-15,486 55.0 406 IS91 (TnpA), E. coli (X17114) 94 (406) IS91 transposase 17 InsA 17,071-16,706 53.0 121 IS91 (ORF121), E. coli (S23781) 95 (121) IS91 protein 18 InsB 17,130-17,978 54.8 282 IS911 (InsB), S. dysenteriae (AAF28127) 99 (271) IS911 transposase ^(a)Length of comparable sequence in the homologous protein. ^(b)Proposed function based on the predicted presence of an enzyme that converts UDP-GalNAcA to UDP-AltNAcA (see Discussion) Analysis of upstream sequences from pWR101 subclones revealed the presence of a partial wzz (933 bp) created by an IS1 insertion. Sequence homology to the plasmid R100 was noted immediately 5′ of this IS1 element (Xu et al., unpublished data; FIG. 3A). Unexpectedly, the 5′ region of pWR101 differed from that in pWR102. The latter plasmid contained a partial IS91 (201 bp), a partial IS630 (339 bp), a JUMPstart sequence (i.e. CAGCGCTTTGGGAGCTGAAACTCAAGGGCGGTAGCGTA) (SEQ ID NO:14), which is characteristic of O-antigen loci and a full-length copy of wzz (1,104 bp) (FIG. 3A). The observation of a full length S. sonnei plasmid-borne wzz, as reported previously (38), preceded by a JUMPstart sequence and partial IS elements suggests that this pWR102-derived sequence represents that of the original 180 kb S. sonnei virulence plasmid and that during subcloning of this region in pWR101, an IS1 element insertion occurred within wzz causing a 5′-deletion of this gene and adjacent upstream sequences (FIG. 1C). The remnants of IS630 and IS91 found upstream of JUMPstart in pWR102 suggests the insertion of IS91 via its left inverted repeat (IRL) into a -GTTC- target site (33) originally present within IS 630 and subsequent deletion of much of the IS91 element (FIG. 3A).

Immediately downstream of the form I encoding region, a partial aqpZ gene (513 bp) was found that is virtually identical to the 5′-portion of Pleisiomonas shigelloides aqpZ (699 bp) (6). Further downstream a partial IS629 element (31), a small fragment of a Pseudomonas IS element, a full-length IS91 and partial IS911 sequences were identified (FIG. 3B). The specific target sequence of IS91, -GTTC-, was found immediately adjacent to the right inverted repeat (IRR) of this element, indicating the prior insertion of IS91 into a target site originally present in the middle of IS911. Thus, the region downstream of the form I biosynthetic operon contains numerous IS element remnants, and like the upstream region, serves as a recombinational hotspot.

Stability of Form I O-Ps Expression in a Salmonella Vaccine Vector.

Several recombinant plasmids were tested for their ability to direct stable form I O-Ps expression in S. Typhi Ty21a. Following electroporation of each plasmid into strain Ty21a, the resulting strain was grown in the absence of antibiotic selective pressure for approximately 25 and 50 generations and then examined for form I antigen expression. The percentage of form I-positive colonies was determined by immunoblot assay of colonies grown on LB agar without antibiotic. Salmonella harboring the 15.7 kb form I region insert in the multicopy vector pBR325 (i.e. pXK68) exhibited highly unstable form I O-Ps expression. Thus, following growth for 24 hrs, the loss of antigen expression from Salmonella carrying this plasmid was greater than 97% (Table 3). Deletion of IS91 from the 15.7 kb insert of pXK68 to generate the 13.6 kb fragment of pXK66 increased the stability of form I O-Ps expression. The percentage of form I positive colonies was further enhanced when these inserts were carried in the low copy vector, pGB2. The 15.7 kb insert in pGB-2 pXK67) exhibited markedly improved stability of antigen expression compared with the same insert in pBR325. Again, deletion of IS91 from the 15.7 kb insert of pXK67 to generate the 13.6 kb fragment of pXK65 increased the stability of form I O-Ps expression. In fact, as shown in Table 3, pXK65 and pXK45 directed stable form I antigen expression in Salmonella over 50 generations.

TABLE 3 Stability of plasmid-based form I O-Ps expression in S. Typhi Ty21a^(a) Insert Percent form I O-Ps positive colonies at: Plasmid Vector (kb) 12 h 24 h pXK68 pBR325 15.7 12.5 2.5 PXK66 pBR325 13.6 80 45.5 pXK67 pGB-2 15.7 78 69 pXK65 pGB-2 13.6 100 98.5 pXK45 pGB-2 13.3 100 97 ^(a)A form I positive colony of each strain was inoculated in L-broth and grown for 12 h (approximately 25 generations) before dilution and regrowth in fresh L-broth for an additional 12 h. Samples taken at 12 or 24 h were plated on L-agar and the resulting colonies assayed for form I O-Ps by colony immunoblotting. Vaccine Protection Study in Mice.

Shigellae are specific for higher primates and nonprimate models do not exist for the development of either typical dysenteric disease from low infectious doses of these bacteria or protective immunity from natural challenge. Nevertheless, mice have been employed previously to demonstrate immune stimulation by a vaccine and specific protection against parenteral challenge with virulent S. sonnei (12). In the present study, ICR mice were immunized with a single ip dose of viable S. Typhi Ty21a containing pXK65 or pXK45, Ty21a alone, or saline and challenged at 5 weeks post-immunization with 5×10⁵ virulent S. sonnei 53GI (i.e. approximately 100×LD₅₀). This challenge resulted in 100% mortality in negative control mice immunized with saline or strain Ty21a alone (Table 4). In contrast, all mice that received Ty21a harboring the stable form I inserts deleted for IS91 and carried by pGB-2 were protected from the S. sonnei challenge.

TABLE 4 Mouse protection against virulent S. sonnei challenge Vaccine (plasmid)/control^(a) Survivors/total^(b) S. Typhi Ty21a (pXK45) 8/8 S. Typhi Ty21a (pXK65) 8/8 S. Typhi Ty21a 0/8 Saline 0/8 ^(a)Vaccine strains containing plasmids or control Ty21a alone were suspended in saline to a concentration of 2.5 × 10⁷ cells per 0.5 ml dose for intraperitoneal immunization. Saline (0.5 ml) served as control. ^(b)Each mouse was challenged intraperitoneally with 5 × 10⁵ CFU S. sonnei 53GI (i.e. 100 × LD₅₀) in 0.5 ml saline containing 5% hog gastric mucin and monitored for four days. III. Discussion

The genes controlling form I O-Ps biosynthesis have previously been cloned and sequenced to varying extents as summarized in FIG. 4 (D. J. Kopecko, L. S. Baron, T. L. Hale, S. B. Formal and K. Noon, Abstr. 83th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, abstr. D 10, 1983) (6, 24, 38, 42, 45). However, reported sequence differences in the S. sonnei form I gene region (FIGS. 4 A and B), combined with limited analyses of LPS expression, have resulted in confusion regarding the essential genes for form I antigen biosynthesis. Houng and Venkatesan (24) reported that these genes were contained within an 11 kb region of the S. sonnei 53GI virulence plasmid; DNA sequencing revealed ten ORFs including IS630 (FIG. 4B). However, our findings, which support other recent sequencing studies of the form I gene region in S. sonnei strains 53GI and HW383 (FIGS. 4A and C), as well as the corresponding gene region of P. shigelloides (FIG. 4D), suggest that the form I biosynthetic region contains an additional gene, designated wbgZ (FIG. 4A), homologs of which occur in many Ps gene clusters (5) but not in the sequence of Houng and Venkatesan (24) (FIG. 4B).

Antibody to form I O-Ps was previously reported to agglutinate subclones expressing an 11 kb form I insert (24), which lacks wbgZ. In contrast, we found that such subclones (i.e. pXK47) were not agglutinated by specific anti-form I antibody, prepared by absorption with form II S. sonnei cells. Further, LPS analysis by silver stain or immunoblot showed no detectable form I material from subclones expressing the 11 kb insert, but typical form I LPS from pXK50 subclones expressing the 12.7 kb insert thereby indicating that wbgZ (but not aqpZ) is required for form I O-Ps biosynthesis. The right-hand end of the form I gene region, between wbgZ and aqpZ, is further defined by the presence of a transcriptional terminator in this region and the dramatic effect on form I O-Ps synthesis seen from the short truncation of wbgZ in subclones expressing the 12.4 kb insert (FIG. 2, pXK46).

The left-hand end of the essential form I region is defined by plasmid inserts that begin in the middle of wzz (FIG. 1B) but direct the synthesis of typical form I LPS. The wild type distribution of LPS chain length seen in our S. sonnei subclones (FIG. 2A) can be explained by the expression of the previously described chromosomal wzz (38), which apparently determines the chain length of form I LPS. Whereas JUMPstart, a presumed transcriptional antiterminator (43), and plasmid borne wzz may play a role in biosynthesis of LPS by wild type S. sonnei and P. shigelloides 017, our studies indicate that neither of these loci is essential for form I O-Ps expression from our subclones. Such observations also suggest the presence of a promoter at the 3′ end of plasmid borne wzz (6), immediately ahead of wbgT, the first essential gene for plasmid-based form I O-Ps biosynthesis. The IS630 element inserted in the C-terminus of ORF7 (nucleotides 6894-7925 of SEQ ID NO:7 which is SEQ ID NO:15) (i.e. wzy) (38) is evidently also not essential for form I O-Ps biosynthesis as the comparable region of P. shigelloides, which lacks IS630, also directs the production of typical LPS. Thus, the available data from studies of LPS biosynthesis clearly indicate that nine genes beginning with wbgT (ORF4) and ending with wbgZ (ORF13) (FIG. 4A) are required for form I antigen biosynthesis in each of the three host genera examined.

The properties of these nine essential genes (Table 2) provide the basis for the detailed biosynthetic pathway presented as a working hypothesis in FIG. 5. These genes include two (i.e. wbgW and wbgY) for putative glycosyl transferases and two (i.e. wzx and wzy) for proteins that function in the transport and polymerization of form I repeating units. Thus, the remaining five genes of the form I cluster may function to convert available nucleotide-linked sugars to the 4n-D-FucNAc- and L-AltNAcA-containing precursors of the form I disaccharide repeating unit (25). The initial step in formation of UDP-4-n-D-FucNAc was previously proposed to involve conversion of UDP-GlcNAc to UDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-GlcNAc by the action of wbgV (38). Rather than wbgV, we suspect that wbgZ catalyzes this reaction. Homologs of wbgZ, which include FlaA1 of Helicobacter pylori and WbpM of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are associated with synthesis of the 2,6-deoxysugars QuiNAc, D-FucNAc, and structurally related derivatives such as 4-n-D-QuiNAc (5), the C4-epimer of 4-n-D-FucNAc. Significantly, FlaA1 of H. pylori has recently been identified as a bifunctional UDP-GlcNAc C6-dehydratase/C4-reductase that catalyzes the conversion of UDP-GlcNAc 25, to UDP-QuiNAc through the stable intermediate, UDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-GlcNAc (8). Consequently, the predicted intermediate product of wbgZ, UDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-GlcNAc, is the putative substrate of wbgX (38), which likely catalyzes the formation of 4-n-D-FucNAc (FIG. 5) in a manner similar to the conversion of GDP-4-keto-6-deoxymannose to GDP-perosamine by perosamine synthase of V. cholerae O1 (39) and E. coli (2).

Homologs of two other S. sonnei biosynthetic genes, wbgT and wbgU, occur in a number of bacteria that synthesize N-acetylgalactosamine uronic acid (GalNAcA) including P. aeruginosa serotype 06 (1) and Vi-capsule-expressing Salmonella serovars (19) (Table 2). The relevant biosynthetic pathway, proposed from studies of P. aeruginosa (1), involves the conversion of UDP-GlcNAc to UDP-GalNAc by WbpO and subsequent conversion of UDP-GalNAc to UDP-N-GalNAcA by WbpP. Indeed, recent biochemical studies confirm the identification of WbpP as a UDP-GlcNAc C4-epimerase (8) and WbpO as a UDP-GalNAc dehydrogenase (46). Significantly, D-GalNAcA, the predicted product of WbgT, is the C5-epimer of L-AltNAcA, a constituent of form I O-Ps. Thus, the corresponding precursor, UDP-L-AltNAcA, would be obtained by the action of a C5-epimerase on UDP-GalNAcA. We predict that this activity is provided by WbgV (FIG. 5), the only S. sonnei ORF that failed to retrieve significant homologs from the database (Table 2). Although weak homology between WbgV and plant NADH dehydrogenases was previously reported (38), we found that WbgV is not affiliated with these or other NADH-containing enzymes in the Blocks Data Base (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) thereby questioning the identification of WbgV as a dehydrogenase. Intracellular C5-epimerases that act on nucleotide-linked sugars have not been described to our knowledge, which may contribute to the apparent absence of WbgV homologs in the database. Extracellular C5-epimerases that act on polysaccharides are, however, well documented and include the enzymes of P. aeruginosa (13) and Azotobacter vinelandii (11) that convert D-mannuronic acid to L-guluronic acid in alginate polymers as well as mammalian enzymes that convert D-glucuronic acid to L-iduronic acid in heparin and heparin sulfate (30).

That the form I O-Ps is linked to the phase II core of S. sonnei (25) through 4-n-D-FucNAc suggests that 4-n-D-FucNAc is the first sugar attached to the acyl carrier lipid. This step almost certainly depends on WbgY, which is a homologue of several well-studied glycosyl transferases that link the first sugar of different O-antigen repeating units to carrier lipid (Table 2). WbgW, the other predicted glycosyl transferase (Table 2) presumably completes the biosynthetic unit by transferring L-AltNAcA thereby forming L-AltNAcAα(1→3)4-n-D-FucNAc-PP-und. Indeed, the predicted α(1→3) transfer of L-AltNAcAα by WbgW would resemble the known β(1→3) transfer of D-sugars by WaaV (20) of E. coli and LgtA of N. gonorrhoeae (16) (Table 2). Wzx, a member of the PST(2) subfamily of polysaccharide transport proteins (34), based on its predicted size (Table 2) and hydropathy profile (results not shown), would then be expected to flip the lipid-linked repeating unit from the cytoplasmic to periplasmic face of the plasma membrane without the aid of auxiliary export proteins. Wzx-mediated transport would provide the substrate for Wzy-dependent polymerization resulting in the formation of a β1-4 linkage between each adjacent repeating unit, thereby completing the form I O-Ps structure (FIG. 5).

Plasmid-based expression of form I O-Ps in S. typhi Ty21a, which has a core that is chemically dissimilar to that of Shigellae, resulted in the production of a lipid-linked surface Ps (37) rather than typical form I LPS (FIG. 2C). In contrast, a significant fraction of form I O-Ps synthesized in S. sonnei and E. coli was ligated to core-Lipid A. However, even from these species, a slow migrating band of form I immunoreactive material, apparently unlinked to core-Lipid A, was detected (FIGS. 2A and B). It is unclear whether this band of core-nonlinked form I material is surface bound through the acyl carrier lipid, or alternatively through another molecule as an O-antigen capsule. As pointed out in a recent review (44), O-Ps capsules are easily overlooked because serological and structural studies have generally been interpreted with the expectation that all surface O antigen is core-lipid A linked. However, examples such as E. coli serotype O111 have long been recognized (15) in which the same O-Ps is surface expressed in a LPS form and in an LPS-unlinked capsular form. Clearly, further studies of S. sonnei form I O-Ps are needed to clarify this possibility.

High homology between the gene regions for O-Ps biosynthesis in S. sonnei and P. shigelloides (6, 38), over the region from wzz to aqpZ (FIG. 4), supports the proposal of Reeves and coworkers (29) that S. sonnei evolved from E. coli by the acquisition of the form I biosynthetic region from P. shigelloides. The form I operon adjacent sequences obtained herein (FIGS. 1B and 3) provide an improved definition of the limits of the gene transfer event. Comparison of the available S. sonnei form I gene region sequences (FIG. 4A) with the analogous Pleisiomonas region (FIG. 4D) suggests the transfer of approximately 12.6 kb of P. shigelloides chromosomal DNA. The right-hand endpoint apparently occurred at by 513 within aqpZ where sequence homology between P. shigelloides and S. sonnei ends abruptly. The left-hand junction apparently occurred upstream of JUMPstart where partial IS elements were identified in pWR102 (FIG. 3). Since remnants of IS91, IS630, and other elements have been shown to flank the form I operon in S. sonnei (FIGS. 3 and 4A), any of these elements could have been involved in transposition of this region, likely from the Pleisiomonas chromosome to a plasmid, which was then transferred to the evolving E. coli recipient.

Form I antigen expression is frequently lost in S. sonnei mainly by spontaneous loss of the large virulence plasmid (26). Instead of stabilizing form I expression in attenuated Shigella for use as a live vaccine, our approach has been to transfer the form I genes into S. Typhi Ty21a. Ty21a (14) is a proven safe and effective, mucosally-delivered, live bacterial vaccine which stimulates long-term protection against typhoid fever. In addition, Ty21a has the advantage of oral administration, eliminating the need for needles, syringes and a skilled health professional for immunization. A live, oral candidate vaccine strain, 5076-1C, was previously constructed by introducing the large S. sonnei virulence plasmid into Ty21a. The resulting strain was protective in humans challenged with virulent S. sonnei (3, 12, 21) but was genetically unstable, resulting in loss of form I O-Ps expression (17). The current study has allowed us to create stable, minimal-sized S. sonnei form I region constructs in Ty21a. The stability of plasmid-based expression of form I O-Ps was enhanced by deletion of the downstream IS91 from form I inserts and was further stabilized by use of the low copy vector pGB-2 (Table 3). Animal studies (Table 4) have provided preclinical evidence that these minimal-sized form I region constructs in S. Typhi induced protective immunity in a stringent mouse challenge model.

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It is understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit and purview of this application and scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. 

1. A method of protecting a susceptible host against an infection of Shigella sonnei (S. sonnei) comprising administering to said host an amount of an immunoprotective composition sufficient to invoke an immunoprotective response in the host, wherein the composition comprises an attenuated bacteria expressing an antigen comprising the S. sonnei form I O-polysaccharide, wherein said attenuated bacteria comprises an expression cassette comprising the genes wbgT, wbgU, wzx, wzy, wbgV, wbgW, wbgX, wbgY, and wbgZ isolated from the S. sonnei rfb/rfc gene cluster or Plesiomonas shigelloides (P. shigelloides) O17 gene cluster operably linked to transcriptional promoter and termination signals, and wherein the expression cassette does not include at least one of the following genes: IS1, wzz, IS630, aqpZ, IS629, IS91, and IS911.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the antigen is expressed from a recombinant plasmid.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the recombinant plasmid comprises SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3, or SEQ ID NO: 4 operably linked to a promoter.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition is in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition is in a sterile medium.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising an adjuvant. 